Carl's Certification Journeyhttps://carlscertjourney.wordpress.com
The road to getting certified can often be bumpyWed, 12 Jul 2017 06:26:37 +0000enhourly1http://wordpress.com/https://s2.wp.com/i/buttonw-com.pngCarl's Certification Journeyhttps://carlscertjourney.wordpress.com
Current Statushttps://carlscertjourney.wordpress.com/2012/09/12/current-status/
https://carlscertjourney.wordpress.com/2012/09/12/current-status/#respondWed, 12 Sep 2012 21:23:48 +0000http://carlscertjourney.wordpress.com/?p=294Continue reading →]]>I did not realize that it has been about 3 weeks since I posted anything here so I wanted to give a short status update. I’ve started my final semester at the local community college and will graduate in December. I am taking 15 hours (5 classes) but thus far the workload has not been too bad. I’m only about ankle deep in my two Windows classes and thus far I do not feel the material is going to be enough to pass the Microsoft certification exams. Not sure what I am going to do in that regard at this point. I have purchased the Foundation Learning Guide for CCNP ROUTE but thus far have not started on that text. I picked up a Cisco 2621XM router off of EBay to complete my home. I now have 5 routers and 4 switches. I’ve been investigating the IOS version that I need for all my Cisco devices and plan to get all the devices flashed soon. Next, I need to make some cables and get everything cabled up into the topology I would like. Since passing ICND2 and becoming a CCNA I have mainly been passively researching and planning for the next step on the certification journey. Hope to get really cracking soon. Filed under: The Journey]]>https://carlscertjourney.wordpress.com/2012/09/12/current-status/feed/0carlscertjourneyGoalshttps://carlscertjourney.wordpress.com/2012/08/22/goals/
https://carlscertjourney.wordpress.com/2012/08/22/goals/#respondWed, 22 Aug 2012 16:10:02 +0000http://carlscertjourney.wordpress.com/?p=289Continue reading →]]>I started this blog back on February 12th, 2012 and in my first post I outlined my goals. I’ve read material in a lot of different places that indicate that goal setting is important. They say if you want to achieve something then you need to set goals with milestone points. I’m happy to say that at this point I have reached all my original goals. I have crossed the finish line to some degree. Here is the original list again with completion dates.

As I look back and think about those original goals I remember thinking that it was a lot do accomplish. It seemed intimidating at that time. I mean, I needed to take 5 exams (technically 6 since A+ requires 2 tests) to get those certifications. Each certification was going to take reading at least one 500-700 page book as well as additional study. The whole thing seemed like a hug undertaking at the beginning. However, I started chipping away a little bit at a time each milestone made things a bit easier. I passed all exams on the 1st attempt until the ICND2 exam so I did not have any major setbacks until then. The thing that sort of amazes me know is looking at the time frame and realizing that I got this done in a total of 6 months.

So now I am down to number 6 on the list which really is not a goal but a call for action after completing the original 5 goals. Just like at the beginning of the original goals, I am once again feeling intimidated. In fact, I am debating whether or not to set new goals at this point. I know the things that I would like to accomplish but they seem so huge at this point. This feeling is telling me that I *do* need to go ahead and make the list now. I have quite a few certifications in mind so I am going to make two lists.

Short Term Goals (the road directly in front of me)

The Microsoft exams are kind of an interesting addition as I do not really have a great deal of interest there. However, I am taking two classes in the upcoming semester that are aligned with those tests so it makes sense to take the exams at the end.

Filed under: The Journey Tagged: Goals]]>https://carlscertjourney.wordpress.com/2012/08/22/goals/feed/0carlscertjourneyPASSED ICND2 !!!https://carlscertjourney.wordpress.com/2012/08/21/passed-icnd2/
https://carlscertjourney.wordpress.com/2012/08/21/passed-icnd2/#commentsTue, 21 Aug 2012 18:37:32 +0000http://carlscertjourney.wordpress.com/?p=286Continue reading →]]>I was elated as I left the exam center yesterday having just passed the ICND2 exam. I did not exactly light up the scoreboard as I got an 860. However, that was a 42 point improvement over the last time I took the exam and was enough to pass. I am now officially a CCNA!

Happy Days!

Filed under: CCNA, Cisco, ICND2, The Journey Tagged: CCNA, Cisco, ICND2]]>https://carlscertjourney.wordpress.com/2012/08/21/passed-icnd2/feed/3carlscertjourneyICND2 – Take 2 – Exam Later Todayhttps://carlscertjourney.wordpress.com/2012/08/20/icnd2-take-2-exam-later-today/
https://carlscertjourney.wordpress.com/2012/08/20/icnd2-take-2-exam-later-today/#respondMon, 20 Aug 2012 14:41:40 +0000http://carlscertjourney.wordpress.com/?p=283Continue reading →]]>Last Wednesday I scheduled my INCD2 exam (again). The original goal date was 08-17-2012 but I just didn’t feel I would be ready in 2 days so I scheduled it for today. I was up late last night playing the Cisco Aspire game and once again I had trouble sleeping. I do not know what it is about the ICND2 exam that makes it so intimidating but it really works the nerves over. So I woke up this morning without getting a good night of sleep. I normally relax on exam day and do not cover any material. Today I am studying. So I start into my 2nd attempt by making two mistakes again: not getting enough rest and cramming. Part of me feels that I am going to totally redeem myself since I only missed passing my 7 points last time. Another part of me feels like I am going to do worse than last time. On my last attempt there were 4 or 5 questions (2 on one topic) that would have made the difference. I am also feeling that maybe I spent too much time focusing on those areas and not enough on everything else. What happens if I do not even get questions on those topics again? Honestly, I did not get as much studying done in the last two weeks as I wanted. The exam is in about 5 hours so whether I like it or not, I’m up to bat again. I’m really not sure if I can handle another crushing defeat on this exam. One thing is certain though: I will keep taking this exam until I pass. I am committed to that! Hopefully, my stress and worries about the ICND2 exam and CCNA will be in the rearview mirror very soon. Now, it is time to go review more.Filed under: CCNA, Cisco, ICND2, Security+ Tagged: CCNA, Cisco, ICND2]]>https://carlscertjourney.wordpress.com/2012/08/20/icnd2-take-2-exam-later-today/feed/0carlscertjourneyCisco Aspire CCNA Editionhttps://carlscertjourney.wordpress.com/2012/08/20/cisco-aspire-ccna-edition/
https://carlscertjourney.wordpress.com/2012/08/20/cisco-aspire-ccna-edition/#commentsMon, 20 Aug 2012 14:17:43 +0000http://carlscertjourney.wordpress.com/?p=280Continue reading →]]>I started playing Cisco Aspire CCNA Edition last Thursday and found it not only to be a lot of fun but quite useful for studying as well. You can read all about the game on the Cisco web site so I’ll forgo the general description of the game and only talk about the specifics.

The Good:

Engaging
Fun
Pertinent Material
Similar to Labbing

The Bad:

Bugs – the kind that require you to load a saved game and re-do an entire contract in order to progress
Format/Cost – The game requires you to purchase tokens to unlock contracts in the game. I purchased 1000 tokens for $50 which allowed me to unlock everything. However, the tokens work only on that single install. In my case it on a Windows XP virtual machine using Parallels. If I want to install and play the game on my laptop I would have to buy a whole new batch of tokens.

Overall, I had fun playing and am on the next to last contract of the game. Unfortunately, I have no more time to play before the exam. I definitely recommend the game if you have the means.

More on Inside/Outside and Local/Global:

INSIDE LOCAL – inside private
INSIDE GLOBAL – inside public
OUTSIDE LOCAL – outside private (in many cases this is the same as the OUTSIDE GLOBAL)
OUTSIDE GLOBAL – outside public

Normally NAT translates an inside SOURCE address to an outside address but you can also translate both the SOURCE and DESTINATION addresses. This is useful when two networks are IPed with the same private address blocks (overlap) and need to communicate with each other. This is accomplished via static mapping.

Static NAT Configuration:

1. Configure interfaces to be inside or outside

Router(config-if)#ip nat inside

OR

Router(config-if)#ip nat outside

2. Configure static mappings

Router(config)#ip nat inside source static 10.0.0.1 74.125.225.40

Dynamic NAT Configuration:

1. Configure interfaces to be inside or outside (as above)

2. Create an ACL that matches the source addresses of the hosts that will use NAT

Configuring PAT (NAT Overload):

NAT Overload can use a single public address or a pool of public addresses. When using a pool the setup is the same as the Dynamic NAT setup above except you add an overload statement to the command in step 4.

Router(config)#ip nat inside source list 10 pool MyPool overload

PAT with a single address:

1. Configure interfaces to be inside or outside

2. Create an ACL that matches the source addresses of the hosts that will use NAT

Privacy – prevents anyone on the internet from being able to intercept the packet data
Authentication – Verifies the sender
Integrity – Verifies the data has not changed
Anti-Replay – prevent man-in-the-middle from resending packets to pose as legitimate source

Types of VPNs:

Intranet – Site to Site within an organization
Extranet – Site to Site to another organization
Access – Allows access to corporate network from legitimate users across the internet

Frame Relay PVC statuses:

Filed under: CCNA, Cisco, ICND2, The Journey Tagged: CCNA, Cisco, ICND2]]>https://carlscertjourney.wordpress.com/2012/08/14/icnd2-chapter-16-frame-relay-configuration/feed/0carlscertjourneyICND2 Reflection and Planshttps://carlscertjourney.wordpress.com/2012/08/07/icnd2-reflection-and-plans/
https://carlscertjourney.wordpress.com/2012/08/07/icnd2-reflection-and-plans/#commentsTue, 07 Aug 2012 19:53:52 +0000http://carlscertjourney.wordpress.com/?p=263Continue reading →]]>It was a bit depressing to fail the ICND2 test especially since I was so close to the passing score. I guess the good news though is that I am not far away in my knowledge/skills. I’ve been thinking about it quite a bit and realize that I left some easy ones on the table that would have made the difference. This is particularly true in the IPv6 scope. A few of the questions were somewhat confusing. I read them and immediately formulated and answer/solution in my head. Then I looked at the list of answers and the one that came to my mind at first was not in the list of answers. This left me scratching my head and wondering what they were trying to get at. I feel as if I missed a few of these and plan to review. Specifically, I am going to re-read the OSPF, IPv6, NAT, and advanced ACL chapters again. Also, I never got the chance to read any of the Todd Lammle book that I bought so I am going to try to get through most or all of the ICND2 pertinent chapters in his book as well. I am definitely, re-taking the exam soon. The tentative date is 8/14/2012. (week from this Friday) Over the next few days, I also want to get my chapter reviews up for the last 4 chapters that I did not get done before the exam last time. I’ll end this post with a few facts that I should have memorized that would have helped made a difference on the exam.

IPv6

Link Local addresses begin with FE80::/10

FF02::2 multicasts to ALL ROUTERS on a subnet, FF02::1 multicasts to ALL NODES on a subnet.

I need to memorize all the reserved addresses and address types. I will cover that in my review.